


Tinkering

by ana



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Babies, Family, Genetics, Gifts, Misunderstandings, Uterine Replicators
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 02:40:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ana/pseuds/ana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tej and Ivan back on Barrayar and...stuff.  It's cuddly and funny in parts, I hope. </p><p> </p>
            </blockquote>





	Tinkering

**Author's Note:**

> This fic contains links to two other fics but you don't have to read them to get this one. (Since I referenced them I felt had to link to them. Having recently done a course where you had to reference everything, I nearly did a bibliography with Harvard referencing :/)

***

It wasn’t how Ivan wanted to spend his evening. 

Tej’s message to meet at Vorkosigan House meant she’d forgotten what day it was.  How could she forget?

He patted his pocket, suddenly feeling embarrassed about what had seemed ‘a good idea at the time.’ _I shouldn’t have brought it.  No, she’ll love it. I shouldn’t have brought it._   Then he remembered what had gone into it, all the help Tatya had given him and the promise she'd exacted from him that he'd give it to Tej today.  Tatya had got quite emotional about it, making Ivan glad they'd discusssed it all via comconsole and not in person.

Unfortunately, when he stepped into the House, he heard that his wife hadn’t arrived. But he could hear who _had_ arrived – the Koudelka girls and their spouses.   As he wiped his boots in the vestibule, he listened to the loud exchange of chatter; all to do with uterine replicators, choice and gene-cleaning.  He guessed it had been sparked by that loony, extremist branch of the Mother Nature cult on Escobar where one member had blown herself up - and thirteen live uterine replicators. Ivan inwardly shuddered. It seemed like those stories were everywhere lately.           

Martya stepped out into the vestibule and gave him a look before she said hello.

Ivan smiles.  ‘Let me guess, putting all the ills of The Barrayaran Man at my feet again, Martya?  What have we done now?’

Martya gave him her straight shooter stare. ‘You?  Nothing yet, but uterine replicators do not mean that one person should have carte blanche on all decisions.’

‘Um…right…’ he said slowly.  He was sure Martya would eventually explain her point.  Instead she frowned.

‘You do know what I’m talking about?’

‘Ivan?’ Ekaterin had appeared at the top of the stairs.  ‘Tej will be here soon.  Mark said they lost track of time and they’re on their way. Come up will you, please? Something I need you for.’  She apologised for keeping her guests waiting, but Martya waved a hand and told her to take her time.

Ivan nodded to Martya as he went up the stairs to Ekaterin, but he noted the looks they exchanged. _Something is going on…_   And Tej was still out with Mark and Kareen?  This was something Ivan was still getting used to.  After a dinner at the Koudelkas’, where Mark and Tej had spent a lot of time with their heads together, they had become fast friends.  It was baffling to Ivan but there it was: Mark and Tej got on like a house on fire.  It probably had to do with Mark knowing her brother or some Jacksonian thing or some weird quirk of the universe.  He and Mark still had the same relationship, though - they didn’t seek each other’s company but they tolerated each other when they were together. 

‘Late dinner today?’ he asked Ekaterin.

‘Yes, Miles has only just got back.  He’s tired but he didn’t want to cancel, you know how he is – never lets reality get in the way of his plans.’ Her tone of affection and resignation made Ivan laugh.  ‘Looking forward to tomorrow?’ she asked.

‘Yeah.’

He and Tej were going to the clinic to start arrangements for their future children. Well child, just one for now…their future daughter. _Daughter_. His stomach tilted. Now that they’d made the decision it was about all he could think about. 

‘But it’s only a consultation,’ he added.   A consultation he’d insisted on extending by an hour so he could ask about the security of the replicators.  

He followed Ekaterin into her and Miles’s small alcove attached to their bedroom.  The kids, she informed him, were all asleep and she and Miles had a new bet on the time when Lizzie would wake.  (Ivan wasn’t sure if it was a bet either of them wanted to win.)  She motioned him to sit opposite her and then went quiet.  Ivan frowned as he stretched out his legs.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked.

Ekaterin smoothed her red dress and started to fiddle with her earing. ‘No, not at all.’

‘Never take up gambling, Ekaterin.’ Ivan laughed. ‘Come on, what is it?  Is it to do with whatever Martya was going on about? Or is it to do with Miles,’ he said as he observed a bath robed Miles shuffle into the bedroom from the adjoining bathroom, ‘finally decided to ditch him, have you?’

‘And to think I backed you up,’ Miles said and he turned to Ekaterin. ‘So have you asked him yet?’

‘I backed him up too,’ Ekaterin said defensively, ‘I know what Ivan’s thoughts are in this matter and no, I was about to ask him.’

Ivan sat up. ‘What matter? Backed me up on what?  What are you two talking about?’

But they were interrupted by Nikki’s knock on the door and announcement that Tej, Mark and Kareen had just arrived.  ‘So can we eat now?’ he pleaded through the door, ‘please,’ he added hurriedly, ‘Everyone’s here and I’m starving!’

‘I’m hungry too, but we won’t be long,’ Miles yawned as he stared down at his clothes on the bed, ‘you can come in, son.’

‘No, thanks. I’m going to get a snack.’

‘No cakes,’ Ekaterin said firmly.

‘Yes, no cakes,’ Nikki called back and they could already hear him leaving, ‘so I’ll just have a few pastries.’

Miles chuckled and Ekaterin shook her head.  ‘That boy is becoming cheekier by the day.’

Ivan walked over to his exhausted cousin.  ‘Ask me what, coz?’

Miles seated himself on the bed, next to his house uniform and picked up the underwear he was about to wear, examining it blearily as if he wasn’t quite sure what it was.  ‘Ekaterin wanted to ask you about it.’

Ekaterin sighed.  ‘Only because I was _asked_ to.  I didn’t want to get involved in the first place, but Tej asked me to and you mustn’t be angry at her for involving the Koudelkas.’

‘Involving them in what?’

‘If your mother wasn't off planet,’ Ekaterin continued, ‘I’m sure Tej would have asked her, but she spoke to Kareen and well, Kareen spoke to Martya who spoke to Olivia–‘

‘Those girls can’t keep anything to themselves,’ Miles muttered, putting on his socks.

‘That’s unfair, Miles, as long as you’re clear that something is in confidence, I’ve found them to be very discreet.  I’m sure Tej is aware of that now and besides they have all told Tej, as I have, that it must be a misunderstanding.’

‘Misunderstanding of _what?_ ’ Ivan demanded, ‘I still don’t know what you’re both talking about!’

 But there was another knock on the door.

‘Yes?’ Ekaterin asked.

‘It’s Tej, can I come in?’

‘Yes, _please_ come in,’ Ivan said, ‘perhaps you can explain what’s going on.’

But Miles yelled out, ‘No! I’m dressing!’

‘Sorry, love,’ Ekaterin said, ‘Miles is dressing. Please can you wait a moment?’

‘Sure, but I don’t mind if he’s naked.’

‘Thank you, Tej,’ Miles said, letting out small laugh, ‘but _I_ do.’ 

‘Ivan Xav, I brought that…thing you kept forgetting to bring here.  Up to you, but I have it with me.’

Ivan, about to launch into questioning Ekaterin, snapped his mouth shut. He instinctively glanced at Miles now rapidly dressing.  Ivan knew exactly what Tej had brought and cleared his throat as he stepped up to the door. ‘Ah no, I think it’s too late for that, love.’

‘Gifts don’t have an expiry date, Ivan Xav.’

‘Hmm.  Are you saying that because you’ve forgotten what day it is?’ He flinched at his own peevish tone and that he’d brought it up now, but he was rattled by whatever it was Ekaterin _hadn’t_ told him.

‘What?’ He could hear the surprise in Tej’s voice. ‘I haven’t forgotten anything.  I know it’s our anniversary.’

‘ _Another_ anniversary?’ Miles asked buttoning his trousers.  ‘How many do you two have?’

Ivan was smug.  ‘A few.  Today is the anniversary of the day we _didn’t_ get divorced.’

Miles stared at him a moment, then angled his head as he asked, ‘Do they have a card for that?’

‘Course, they have a card for everything, but I made my own card,’ Ivan said. And message.

Ekaterin smiled.  ‘How sweet of you, Ivan.’

‘Why do they have more anniversaries than us?’ Miles asked Ekaterin. ‘We should get another one.’

Ekaterin walked over and buttoned the last few buttons on Miles’s tunic. ‘Yes, why not?  You let me know which other date you would like to add to our growing calendar of anniversaries, name days, festivals and birthdays and I’ll add that one too.’

Miles grinned and kissed his wife’s hand. ‘You can come in now, Tej,’ Miles called out and as soon as Tej entered he pinned her with his eyes, ‘So what gifts were you talking about? Another sari for Ekaterin?’

Tej turned to Ivan.  ‘Ah no, not for Ekaterin...’ She was giving Ivan that look and Ivan could already feel himself surrendering.  He reluctantly nodded.  

Tej grinned and took Miles’s gift out of her bag.  Ivan flinched.  She’d wrapped it in fancy silver and brown paper! 

She handed it to Ivan but he shook his head.   ‘No!  You give it,’ he whispered, trying to give it back, but she kept her hands at her sides. So he walked over and shoved it into Miles’s hands. ‘Here.  Tej wrapped it.  I didn’t wrap it.’

Miles took it, grey eyes lit with bemusement.  ‘What is it?’

‘Belated present from our time away,’ Tej said.  ‘We didn’t get around to giving you yours.’

‘It was Tej’s idea,’ Ivan said defensively. 

Miles seated himself down on the bed and began to take apart the wrapping.  ‘I hope you picked it, Tej.  I’m still traumatised by Ivan’s…vase…’ his words drifted off as he revealed the intricately framed portrait of him and Ivan from graduation.  They were drunk, with their heads resting against each other and grinning. Miles turned it over and read the dedication.  Ivan had put the current year, not the year of graduation, and a small inscription: _Forward momentum! And for your next trick, coz…?_ Miles looked up at Ivan with an odd look and smile on his face. 

‘We had it framed in both House colours on [Sergyar](487968),’ Tej said, ‘the Count has one too.  Oh, but you may have seen it by now.’

‘I want to get to the bottom of all this other stuff,’ Ivan said abruptly, suddenly embarrassed. He kissed his wife’s cheek, entwining a hair strand in between his fingers for comfort. ‘What’s going on?  I can’t get a straight word out of these two.  Something you want to talk to me about?  That you’ve asked _them_ and the Koudelkas first?’

‘You haven’t…’ Tej began and Ekaterin was shaking her head.

‘I think you should tell him, Tej. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding.’

‘Well someone better tell me _something!_ ’ Ivan was getting seriously irked. 

Tej looked him in the eye.  ‘It’s about tomorrow.’

His stomach dropped.  ‘You’ve changed your mind?’

‘No!  I –,’ she took a breath, ‘about you saying the one thing you wouldn’t change your mind on.’ 

‘That still stands, Tej.’

Her face fell.  ‘But Ivan Xav –‘

‘Tej! You can’t be serious – you want her to be – no, I won’t have that.  I don’t want her to be tinkered around with.  I want her….natural.’

Tej raised her chin.  ‘Well I disagree!’

‘Good for you, Tej,’ Kareen said. Ivan started, as the door Tej had left open had opened further and a crowd gathered – the blonde brigade up front and central.

‘What are you all doing up here?’ Ivan asked.  ‘This is none of your business.’

‘We’re backing up Tej,’ Kareen said.

Ivan turned back to his wife, eyes wide. ‘You need back up - against me?’

‘No!  I didn’t ask them to back me up, but thank you,’ she added hurriedly to the Koudelka clan, spilling into the room.

Tej took Ivan’s hands and gripped them, taking a deep breath before she spoke: ‘I want the gene-clean for our daughter.  I don’t want to take any chances on her health.  I can’t compromise on that. I can’t.  That’s just how I feel.’ 

Ivan was confused.  ‘What are you talking about?  I want the gene-cleaning too! I always have.  Who wouldn’t want that?’

Tej opened and closed he mouth then let out an, ‘Oh.’

Ekaterin smiled and the silence was broken by Miles.  ‘Well that was an anti-climax, not that I’ll say I’ll told you so – again,’ he said to the Koudelkas as he stood up with his stick, still holding the portrait in his other hand, ‘I think we should all go down to dinner now.’

Tej moved closer to Ivan.  ‘But you said you didn’t want her genes tinkered about with, Ivan Xav. You _did_ say that!  I didn’t imagine it.’

‘But I didn’t mean the gene-clean! I meant I didn’t want her to be like your siblings.’

Miles let out a breath, and sat down again, ‘So close, Ivan, so close…’

‘And what is wrong with my siblings!’ Tej demanded.

Ivan winced and bit back the list on his tongue.  He took in the amused and snickering audience that wasn’t shifting, and returned to face the fire in Tej’s eyes.  ‘Do we have to discuss this here?’ he whispered.

‘Yes,’ she said letting go of his hands and folding her arms across her beautiful, ample chest.  He lifted his eyes back up to her stubborn ones.

‘You can explain now, Ivan Xav.’

Ivan mirrored her pose and folded his own arms.  ‘Fine.  Look, Tej, all your siblings have been genetically tinkered with but you haven’t, apart from the gene-clean,’ he added hurriedly.

‘And?’ she asked.

‘ _And_ look how you turned out?’ Ivan stated. ‘You’re the most perfect out of all of them. I’m sorry, Tej, that’s just how _I_ feel.  I want our daughter to be like you, so no tinkering.’

There was some odd sighs and murmurings from the doorway, which faded as Ekaterin gracefully kicked everyone out of the room, but his warm, soft Tej was in his arms, squeezing him tight.

‘How do you do that Ivan Xav?  How do you do it? You’re so – ’ and the rest of what she murmured was lost in his tunic, but she sounded pleased, more than pleased. So Ivan - a touch baffled - was just relieved it was all cleared up.   ‘So you didn’t forget what today is then?’

Her soft giggle tickled his neck.  ‘I have something for you, but it’s for tonight.  I wanted to surprise you. How could you think I’d forgotten?’ she scolded

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, I’m sorry.  Seems so stupid now I - what?’ 

Ivan had pulled away and taken out the card from his pocket.  ‘I ah got you this,’ he dropped his voice, suddenly nervous, ‘well I wrote it.  It’s just for you, don’t show it to anyone.  It’s just - well – read it. Never written anything like this before,’ he said hearing the surprise in his own voice.

He watched her as she read his [sonnet](711776), and she reacted exactly as he hoped.  She laughed, grinned and had tears in her eyes - just like Tatya.  _Must send Tatya some more thank you flowers._ Not that he liked Tej's tears but she was smiling so it was alright and she gave him one of her scorching kisses – interrupted by Miles’s loud coughing.

‘You’re still here?’ Ivan managed as Tej stopped squeezing him and Ivan took his hands out from under her blouse.

Miles was deliberately not looking at either of them. ‘You’re blocking my doorway.’

They apologised, readjusted their clothing and went down to dinner.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I want Ivan's first born to be a girl so I'm giving him a girl. If/when her Ladyship says differently I'll mark it AU :) 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks so much to Lola for beta reading rescue! After my fic break I wasn't sure what to do with this fic I wrote months ago, but after a beta read I felt better about posting it. Love you beta readers :D 
> 
> Also I wrote this before the sonnet, then got distracted with the sonnet and then life got in the way and lots of other stuff you don'ts wants to knows and well...*trails off incoherently*


End file.
